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# Bernice Bouie Donald

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- State: National federal courts
- Role: U.S. Circuit Judge
- Service status: former
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 2011-present
- Staff attorney, Employment Law & Economic Development Unit, Memphis Tennessee Area Legal Services, 1980-present
- Judge, District Court, W.D. Tennessee, 1995-2011
- District Court (1995–2011): Appointed by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee; the first African American woman in Tennessee to serve as a U.S. District judge
- Bankruptcy Court (1988–1995): U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee — the first African American woman in the U.S. to serve in this role
- Adjunct professor, University of Memphis School of Law, 1985-1988
- State level (1982–1988): Judge on Tennessee’s General Sessions Criminal Court for Shelby County, making her the first African American woman judge in Tennessee
- Adjunct professor, Shelby State Community College, 1981-1984
- Assistant public defender, Shelby County, TN, 1980-0082
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Began her legal career in private practice in Memphis, then held a position as a staff attorney for Memphis Area Legal Services and as an assistant public defender in Shelby County, Tennessee

### Education

- University of Memphis (then Memphis State University) — J.D. (1979)
- Duke University School of Law

### Additional information

- She assumed senior status in 2022 and retired in January 2023.
- Court of Appeals (2011–2023): Nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; the first African American woman to serve on that court.
- She first joined the court in 2011 after a nomination from President Barack Obama (D).
- Private practice, Memphis, TN, 1979-1980
- B.A. in 1974
- Date of birth: 1951-01-01
- Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
- Birth place: Desoto County, MS

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/891/bernice-bouie-donald/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/891/bernice-bouie-donald/)
- [Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/891/bernice-bouie-donald/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/891/bernice-bouie-donald/)
- [Biography · Bernice B. Donald](https://abawtp.law.stanford.edu/exhibits/show/bernice-b-donald/biography)
- [Bernice Donald - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bernice_Donald)
- [Wikidata: Bernice Donald](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4894277)

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